Spanish private hire drivers could face having their licenses revoked

It's been revealed that both regional and local governments in Spain could be given powers to revoke private hire vehicle licenses (VTCs).

Currently drivers for both Uber and Cabify have been given four years to comply with current licensing regulations in any given area.

Current regulations stipulate that private hire National licences will expire after a 4 year transition period, which has angered Spanish taxi drivers.

There are currently 150000 taxi drivers and 15000 Uber and Cabify drivers, with taxi drivers being forced to comply with a tax regime which VTC drivers do not have to endure.

The current legislation does however mean that some cities can completely eradicate private hire vehicles from their streets.

As legislation transitions from national to regional government, licensing areas will be able to set their own cap on the amount of vehicles operating in their region.

Representatives of the Spanish private hire industry are expected to challenge the new legislation in the European Court